FIFA Considers Apple for Global Broadcast Rights of New Tournament

FIFA is nearly signing a deal with Apple to grant the tech giant global television rights for a major new event.

Next summer, elite teams will compete in a monthlong World Cup-style event in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic thwarted the tournament, initially scheduled for China in 2021.

Sources, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on discussing the arrangement, speculated that the FIFA-Apple agreement might surface this month, as reported by The New York Times.

A Significant Deal for Apple

Insiders said the agreement may be worth a fraction of FIFA's $4 billion estimate. Whether the FIFA-Apple deal includes free-to-air rights is unknown. Senior FIFA executives worry that Apple TV+ users will have exclusive access to the event.

If the arrangement goes through, FIFA will have its first global contract for an event. After its 2022 deal to buy Major League Soccer's global streaming rights for $2.5 billion over a decade, it would also mark Apple's further growth into soccer.

Apple's proposed deal with FIFA would be its second major sports broadcasting venture. In 2022, Apple acquired MLS streaming rights for 10 years. Lionel Messi joined the league's Miami squad a year later, bolstering this alliance.

The planned arrangement with FIFA is a tournament that includes some of the world's best professional teams, making it even more significant.

FIFA said last year that the extended competition would run for a month in June and July. The event will include 32 teams from Africa, Asia, South America, Oceania, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Manchester City are confirmed.

NBA Seeking New Broadcast Deal

In another development, according to league and television officials notified of the idea, the NBA is seeking new broadcast rights deals lasting at least a decade to reconfigure its game delivery method with streaming as the major distribution vehicle.

According to The Athletic, the current rights holders, ESPN/ABC and TNT Sports, want to maintain their positions, while Amazon Prime Video is the front-runner for integration. NBC, known for its NBA coverage during the 1980s and the 90s, also wants to return the game's broadcasts.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and his staff can negotiate contracts with Amazon, NBC, Google/YouTube, Netflix, and Apple when the exclusive financial negotiation window between the NBA, ESPN, and TNT Sports ends on Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

According to insiders, the NBA prefers at least three packages, but four is possible. Executives close to the NBA believe Amazon may secure conference finals and NBA Finals throughout the contract.

The new accords will determine the NBA's global and local direction. The league wants 10-year contracts since streaming dominates media and might reduce cable TV's presence.

These developments come amid rising sports streaming rivalries. According to The Verge, ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are launching a new service, while Peacock and Amazon stream NFL games.

Streaming leader Netflix has also ventured into the field of live sports programming, having just aired a boxing event featuring Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Apple released a sports app this year.